A Star is Born
by Conspirator
Summary: Ever wonder what Hiko was like when he studied with his shishou? Read and find out!
1. Default Chapter

Ever wonder what kind of a baka deshi Hiko might have been when he studied with _his_ shishou? Read and find out about the prehistory of Yama no Genji, future thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Just a note to all you _Descent into Madness _fans: there are no deep character insights in this story, just a bit of fun (I needed a break after writing that angsty epic!). 

To all the Sony, Jump Comic, and other high-ranking executives who have the good taste to read this story: You own the rights, I don't, and we all should bow low to Watsuki Nobuhiro, who created the world of Rurouni Kenshin!

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A Star is Born

By 

Conspirator

Yama no Genji was bored. He had been set to work this afternoon shelling peas for dinner, which wouldn't have been so bad if he weren't shelling peas for twenty people. Scratch that—it would have been bad even if it were only for three people. What kind of world was it that required someone as handsome, intelligent, and gifted as himself to use his talent and energy to shell peas?

"Genji, no daydreaming—those peas aren't going to shell themselves, you know."

Grrr. 'The old biddy,' Genji thought darkly. He glared over the top of the bowl at the elderly nun in front of him, who just chuckled at his reaction. What kind of world was it that decreed that he had to be raised by a convent of Buddhist nuns in the first place? Peas started flying into the bowl with great force. 

Actually, he knew he shouldn't really complain, for without the nuns, where would he be? He was the illegitimate son of a ronin and the daughter of a samurai. The dishonor to his mother was deemed to be so great that she was not allowed to keep him, so the nuns had taken him in. They were just tickled pink to have a baby to raise! That had been seventeen years ago. 

And such a talented boy he had turned out to be! He had learned to read kanji by the time he was five, had a positively magical touch at growing vegetables, and had mastered the pottery wheel in record time. He had even started studying the writings of the Buddha and learned to meditate. The nuns were so thrilled with this boy that they never missed a chance to tell him how wonderful he was, and he had to agree—he truly _was_ wonderful. 

There was one aspect of him, however, that made the nuns unhappy—his burning desire to learn kenjutsu. "It is wrong to kill!" they had told him, and they forbade him from joining the local dojo. But that didn't stop him. He simply saved up the money he earned helping out the local farmers, bought himself a katana, and then secretly watched the kenjutsu classes through the dojo windows. The nuns thought he had taken to serious meditating, but in reality he was off in the woods practicing every move he saw. They wondered how meditation could lead to such large biceps on a young man, since that seemed to be the effect it had on young Genji. In the year or so since he had started disappearing for hours to 'meditate,' his arms had gone from puny to positively buff. Yes, they were quite proud of their boy.

Genji, for his part, was actually quite fond of all his mothers, but a seventeen-year-old boy can live only so long in the company of old women, and he had had it. He had been contemplating making a break, was looking for the right moment, but he never seemed to find it. Instead, he would find excuses to get away for hours at a time. So, when he finally finished shelling several bushels of peas, he told the nuns as usual that he needed to 'meditate' and then went directly to the local dojo to watch through the window. He was a tall fellow, but the narrow windows of the dojo were way up by the roof. As always, he perched himself on the rain barrel in order to look in, but for some reason, on this day the barrel gave way, and he fell to the ground with a crash.

"Hey, you—boy! What are you doing climbing up there?" yelled the clearly angry dojo master as he rounded the corner of the building to see what was going on.

Genji tried to gracefully pick himself up from the embarrassing position he was in. Flashing his most winning smile, he said, "Just trying to learn from the best swordsman in Japan." 

The dojo master looked from Genji to Genji's katana to the window of the dojo as it dawned on him what was going on. 

"You…!" the man sputtered. "You've been… spying! Spying on my school! How dare you, you arrogant…!" and before even finishing the sentence, the master unsheathed his katana and raced towards Genji.

In an instant, Genji was on his feet with sword drawn. As with everything else he had ever attempted, Genji had taken to kenjutsu like a duck to water, but he had never had the opportunity to spar, let alone fight, with anyone before. Now he found himself in a duel with not just another student, but with the master himself! Strangely, he found he could almost see in advance what his opponent was planning to do, and so he was able to counter nearly every move the master made. The noise of the fight, meanwhile, brought out the rest of the students, who watched as their master battled this unknown man. To their amazement, for every thrust of their master, Genji seemed to have a counter-thrust. For every feint and trick, Genji seemed to have the knack of avoiding a hit. Finally, after ten long minutes, the two ended up with swords at each other's throats—a stalemate.

"I don't know who you are," the master finally growled through clenched teeth, "but get the hell out of here before I kill you."

"Don't you mean before _I_ kill _you_?" Genji growled back as a smirk began to form on his face.

The crowd suddenly erupted with shouts of "Get him! Kill him!" 

Genji was no fool. He suddenly kicked his opponent in the crotch with all his might, then ran like the wind into the forest. As he ran, he couldn't help marveling at how well he had fought. 'My first battle, and the master himself couldn't beat me!' he congratulated himself. He decided then and there that he had discovered his destiny—he would become a ronin. 

"Genji! What kind of meditation have you been doing!" asked one of nuns as the diseheveled and panting Genji ran through the gate of the convent. Never had the nuns seen their handsome son in such a state!

"Okasan," he panted, "I think it's time I struck out on my own. In fact, for your own good, I think I had better strike out on my own!" And with that, he grabbed his belongings and left.

Genji may have grown up in a convent, but he was well aware of what was going on in the world. Bandits, rogue soldiers, tax collectors—he knew that every village needed some kind of protection from such predators. And what about all those peasant revolts against the Shogun! Yes, the services of a swordsman were definitely in demand.

Surprisingly, however, no one seemed to want to hire him. He stopped by several villages and turned on the charm, but the village elders found all sorts of reasons not to hire him. "Costs too much," one had said. "We like paying taxes," another had claimed. What was with them, Gengi wondered—didn't they think he was up to the task? In truth, it wasn't that the village elders doubted his abilities—it was more that they feared for their wives and daughters. They had seen that gleam in Genji's eyes, and even worse, they had seen the gleam returned by their womenfolk, and that was after the span of only half and hour! No telling what would happen if they hired this rogue, they reasoned!

Genji, ever confident, just walked on, deciding that perhaps his destination should be Kyoto, the one place he could think of that might be deserving of his talents. As he sauntered down the trail leading from the last village to the main road, though, he heard the distinct sound steel clashing upon steel. He stopped and listened more closely. No doubt about it—a swordfight was going on somewhere not too far off the path. As he followed the sounds, he could make out the yells and cries of several men. He set off at a run through the trees to see what was going on. As he reached the clearing, he practically tripped over a man who was bleeding profusely from a sword wound near his heart—a farmer, it looked like. Up ahead, he saw another farmer trying desperately to swing an old sword at three attackers. The farmer was clearly no match for these men; he would be dead within seconds. 

Genji took in the scene and felt a righteous indignation arise within him. How dare those men attack someone who was clearly incapable of fighting back! Without hesitation, he jumped between the farmer and the attackers, wielding his sword with all the skill he could muster. He swung at the attacker in the center, managing to land a good blow to the chest, then set his attention on the attacker to his right. It was then that the attacker to his left let out a loud whistle. Now ten men ran out from the forest into the clearing, yelling and brandishing their swords. 'Oh, shit,' Genji thought as he saw that he was now encircled and heavily outnumbered. 

This being only his second battle ever, he had no clue what to do except to try to fend off any blows and escape. He managed to knock down some of the men through brute strength and his ability to sense what his attackers planned to do, but he knew that his chance of escaping with his life was not good. It was at that moment of realization that a blur of white hair and a flowing cape descended into the midst of the fight.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!" shouted a deep voice as three men dropped, all felled by a single mighty blow.

"Ryu Shou Sen!" the voice bellowed, as another four dropped.

"Ryu…!" but the rest of the men had fled.

Genji stood panting, jaw hanging open, as he stared at the figure in front of him. It was a middle-aged man of medium height, stockily built, with flowing white hair and an air of supreme authority. 

"Who the hell are you?" Genji finally managed to ask.

The man snorted at Genji's rudeness. "I am known as Hiko Seijurou, twelfth in the line of illustrious masters of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. I accept you as my student."

"What?! Who says I want to be your student!"

"A master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu takes only one student in his lifetime," the man continued. "Never have I found the right candidate. You are the right one."

"Listen, Hiko Siko, or whatever your name is…."

"Hiko Seijurou, but from now on, you will call me 'Shishou,'" the man intoned.

"Listen, Hiko-san…."

WHACK!! 

Genji suddenly found himself on the receiving end of the flat of the man's blade.

"You will address me as 'Shishou,'" the man repeated. "Only when you have mastered the ougi will you have the right to call me Hiko." And with that, he grabbed the astonished Genji by the nape of the neck and marched him back towards the trail.

"Who says I even need a teacher!" Genji sputtered as he was dragged along. "And what kind of a cockamamy name is Hiko Seijurou anyway?"

WHACK!!

"You will call me 'Shishou!'"

And so started the training of Yama no Genji, future thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

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Japanese Terms:

Baka deshi: stupid student.

Ronin: masterless, wandering swordsman.

Kanji: Chinese characters used in the Japanese language, as opposed to the phonetic hiragana.

Kenjutsu: the art of sword fighting.

Dojo: school of martial arts.

Katana: long sword.

Okasan: mother.

Shishou: master teacher.

Ougi: the succession technique.

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Author's Note: Haven't you ever wondered what Hiko was like as a kid? Unfortunately, Watsuki-sama doesn't tell us anything about Hiko's background, let alone the name he was born with. All we know is that his name was Niitsu Kakunoshin sometime before the Kyoto Arc, but considering how often people changed their names back then (the real Katsura Kogoro, for instance, had three names in his lifetime), who knows if that was the name Hiko was born with! So, I made one up. Genji seemed appropriate--it's the name that was given in the Heian era to children of the emperor who, for various reasons, were made commoners. So, it's a royal commoner. Next chapter, Hiko the Twelfth gets to know his new student.

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CoConspirator: Well this is a bit different from our last fic. For all of you who still haven't read _Fireflies in the Grass_, what are you waiting for?!! It will have taken on a whole new meaning by the time this fic is over!! Next Chapter: Hiko the Twelfth discovers what he's gotten himself into.


	2. chapter 2

Hiko the Twelfth finds he has his hands full with his new, and rather arrogant, student. 

I, on the other hand, am not arrogant. I humbly acknowledge that I do not own the characters of Rurouni Kenshin—they are the property of Watsuki Nobuhiro (our hero) and the avaricious empires of Sony, Jump Comics, and all the other conglomerates who have their fingers in the pie.

This story relies on information found in the manga, not the television series.

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A Star is Born

Chapter 2

Hiko Seijurou, twelfth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, was a calm man, a self-assured man, a man who had no doubt that he possessed the ability to read a person's ki without error. Yet after sizing up the youth now at his side and conferring upon him the singular honor of becoming his one and only student, he was beginning to doubt his assessment. It may have been karma that led him to settle in this particular area of Japan, but it was the righteous indignation emanating from the 17-year-old Yama no Genji that had attracted him to the actual fight between Genji and the bandits. Never before had Hiko the Twelfth sensed such a strongly righteous ki, the kind of ki that made this youth the perfect candidate to become heir to the most deadly form of kenjutsu in Japan, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. 

Righteousness, however, was one thing, supreme arrogance was something else entirely, and the arrogance of this youth was not to be believed. In the short amount of time since he had taken the boy on as a student, Genji had managed to irritate the hell out of him. It was obvious that Genji was self-taught at kenjutsu, but to claim that his style was called Yama no Genji Ryu—really! And to criticize Hiko's flowing cloak as being tastelessly flamboyant—the nerve! But that was nothing compared to Genji's attitude during training.

"Turn your foot in, not out!" Hiko the Twelfth found himself shouting over and over. A simple thing to do, but Genji seemed determined not to do it.

"I'll be damned if I'm gonna look pigeon-toed!" Genji would shoot back.

"Raise that elbow!" Hiko the Twelfth kept yelling at him.

"Why should I air out my armpits!" Genji would shout in return.

Finally, Hiko the Twelfth, who was always so calm, snapped. It was time to put this callow youth in his place. 

"You will learn to obey my instructions," Hiko the Twelfth announced one day in a voice laden with doom, and he flew towards his student with all the speed for which Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu was famous. Genji ran forward to meet him, only to have his leg kicked out from under him and his sword knocked out of his hand before he could even blink an eye.

"Hey, whad'ja do that for?!" Genji yelled as he sat up and massaged his very sore posterior.

Hiko the Twelfth turned a steely eye on his student and said, "Now you know why you must turn your foot in and raise your elbow."

"Geez, Hiko…."

WHACK!!

"You will call me Shishou!"

And so it went, day in and day out, month in and month out. Hiko had been right about one thing—Genji had a natural affinity for the sword, and he learned quickly—but Hiko had underestimated how irritating the boy could be. For instance, one evening, after a particularly grueling day of practice, Hiko decided to turn in early and directed Genji to prepare his futon. This was nothing new, for his student was responsible for household chores such as preparing the futons for the night. However, this night, when Hiko the Twelfth finally laid down on his futon, it was to the sensation of something slithery in his bed—Genji had slipped a garden snake into it.

WHACK!!

"Hey, what was that for?" Genji had sputtered. "It's not like I called you Hiko or anything…"

WHACK!!

"You will call me Shishou, and you will not put anything in my futon!"

Or the time they were preparing to eat dinner one evening, on a day when Hiko the Twelfth happened to be highly annoyed with his student, as usual. He had been calming himself by reading a book while Genji prepared the meal, but he could sense without looking that the boy was about to slip something vile into his food. Without even turning around, Hiko whipped out his sword.

WHACK!!

"Don't even ask," Hiko had said. "You can guess why."

After many, many months of this, Genji started to develop a grudging respect for his teacher, not that he would ever give Hiko the satisfaction of calling him 'shishou.' He had to admit that this man was the most awesome swordsman he had ever encountered (not that he had encountered that many in his life). And he had to admit that what Hiko taught would, if Genji could learn it, turn Genji into an unbeatable swordsman himself. He was, however, getting really tired of all the whacks, especially the ones occasioned by the mere thought of doing some kind of practical joke, and he was determined to learn how to read people's minds just like Hiko did. It turned out it was all part of the technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and Hiko was only too glad to teach him. 

"Send out your mind to sense those around you," Hiko had instructed him. "When you sense that I am about to attack, you attack first."

That would have been easy if it weren't for the fact that Genji was blindfolded.

WHACK!!

"Hey, I didn't even hear you coming!" Genji complained.

"I was airborn," was the reply.

WHACK!!

"Hey, this time I went for you in the air, but you weren't there!" Genji cried.

"I pushed off from the wall," was the response.

Well, no wonder Hiko had been so glad to teach him! At dinner that night, Genji was so sore from all the whacks, and so black and blue, that dark thoughts clouded his mind. No sooner had a particularly nasty thought occurred, of course, than….

WHACK!!

"You will learn to mask your ki as well as to read mine," Hiko informed him.

And so he did, after several more weeks of whacks and bruises, to the point that Genji could now sense when Hiko was about to whack him. Finally, nearly a year after being taken in by Hiko the Twelfth, and only because he was trying to add some hot pepper flakes to Hiko's tea….

WHAC…Clash!

He did it! He finally managed to thwart Hiko's lightening-fast whack! Unfortunately….

WHACK!! Hiko counterattacked, and this time Genji was unable to stop it.

"Goddammit, Hiko….!"

WHACK!!

"You will call me 'Shishou!'" responded Hiko. "However, I note that your speed has increased significantly. Now we can begin your real training."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that ensued. Then Genji exploded. 

"_Real_ training?" Genji bellowed as the full meaning of Hiko's words sank in. "What the hell have I been doing for the past year, if that wasn't real training?!"

Hiko closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. This youth, now all of eighteen, was truly the biggest horse's ass he had ever met. Would he never learn?

"Deshi—and I use the word lightly," Hiko began, "you have been nothing but trouble and arrogance ever since I conferred upon you the honor of studying with me."

"Conferred the honor?!" Genji shot back. "Kidnapped me was more like it!" 

Hiko glared at Genji. "I took what was a singularly talented, but highly unformed, lump of clay and have turned that lump of clay into a properly trained swordsman," Hiko said in a voice that left no doubt that as far as he was concerned, he was talking to a dolt. 

"Lump of clay? Unformed?! Why, I beat the master of that dojo I studied at…."

"By watching through the window," Hiko noted acidly.

"By watching through the window—so what! And I still beat the crap out of him! You call that unformed?"

For about the hundredth time since taking on this student, Hiko again wondered whether he had made a mistake in choosing Genji as his successor. As Genji ranted on and on, Hiko finally snapped.

"You arrogant, conceited, bullheaded idiot," Hiko growled slowly in a low, dangerous voice, his eyes flashing fire. "Do you not understand yet? Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is the fastest, most deadly form of kenjutsu ever invented. Without impeccable skills, a swordsman would be killed just trying to learn it! But you…! No, you think you were born with perfect skills! You think there is nothing anyone can teach you! All year it has taken me to correct your bad habits, and you think _that_ is Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu? I wash my hands of you!" And with that, Hiko swirled his ever-present cape around him and stalked out of the small house.

Genji just stood there, sputtering silently as he watched the silent form of Hiko the Twelfth recede into the distance. He knew, deep down, that what Hiko said was true, and he realized, deep down, that he owed Hiko a great debt. But if Hiko thought he was that awful as a swordsman, then why did Hiko make him his student in the first place? He decided to find out, so he ran out and grabbed Hiko by the elbow to stop him.

"If I'm so arrogant and such an idiot," demanded Genji as he pulled Hiko to a stop, "then why did you take me on?"

"Maybe it was bad mushrooms," Hiko muttered darkly, "or maybe there was a full moon that night. I've certainly asked myself that question more times than you can imagine! More likely it was the ki I felt emanating from you that day I found you. It was unmistakably the ki of someone with a strong desire to protect others from the sufferings of the ages. It is very rare in a swordsman, but that is the ultimate requirement for a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

Genji just stared at Hiko; he was at a loss for words. It wasn't his prowess with a sword that had attracted Hiko, but his ki? Slowly, the light went on in his mind, and he understood. He bowed low and said contritely, "I accept."

A sudden odd noise emanated from Hiko—a snort, perhaps? The smirk on Hiko's face certainly gave that indication. Genji glowered, but for once held his tongue.

"You will continue, of course, to call me 'Shishou,'" Hiko said.

"Geez, Hiko…."

WHAC…Clash!…WHA…Clash!……. Genji was getting faster, no doubt about that!

WHACK!! But not quite fast enough.

If Genji thought the previous year's training had been difficult, it was nothing compared to what Hiko was putting him through now. Running with weights around his ankles, jumping off the roof, practicing long and broad jumps over a river—it was grueling. The most depressing thing about it all, for Genji at least, was the fact that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how fast he ran, the shorter and considerably older Hiko the Twelfth always seemed to be stronger and quicker. Genji could now jump unaided onto the roof of their small house, but Hiko could jump into the top branches of the surrounding trees. Genji could now back-flip three times in succession, but Hiko could back-flip five times and do it more quickly. Slowly, however, one by one Genji found himself mastering the trademark moves of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu—Ryu Kan Sen and its variants, Ryu Shou Sen, Ryu Tsui Sen and Ryu Tsui Shou Sen, and even the Do Ryu Sen. As for battoujutsu? Genji managed to match the beyond-godlike speed of his master, although he couldn't quite exceed it. Very little, Hiko told him, was left to learn. With this in mind, Hiko, despite certain qualms, decided it was time to bring Genji along with him the next time duty called. The call came not long after Genji had mastered the Do Ryu Sen.

"I have been informed," Hiko told Genji one evening at dinner, "that a band of slavers has been terrorizing the farmers not far from here. They are killing the men and making off with the women and children. This cannot be tolerated. You will accompany me in a search for these slavers so you can learn how Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is put into practice."

"I've already seen how you put it into practice, when you butted into my fight last year," Genji started, but he stopped as he saw a murderous gleam appear in Hiko's eyes.

"You know nothing!" Hiko roared. "Why do I even bother with you!" Hiko stopped as he strove to regain his self control. After several moments, he continued, his fists clenched in an effort to rein in his temper. "You will come with me, but you will bring only your practice sword. You may fight, but you may not kill, for you are not ready for that."

"What?! A practice sword? I've seen death, I know what killing's all about! What's your problem!" Genji shouted.

Hiko once again forced himself to exert supreme self-control in order not to strangle Genji on the spot. "You may not kill until you understand the true value of a life!" Hiko said through clenched teeth. "Only then can you understand the true meaning of death."

"Hey, I was raised by nuns, remember?" Genji retorted, knowing full well that Hiko was ready to blow up at any time. "I know all that stuff—I even studied the writings of the Buddha!"

Hiko briefly entertained the thought that strangling Genji would feel awfully good to him at the moment, but he resisted the temptation. "Yama no Genji," he growled, "I will say it once again—you know nothing! You will do as I say! Your skills now are such that even with a practice sword, you will incapacitate any opponent. Still, you may not kill until you have learned the true meaning of death! That is the last lesson of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

Genji was now in a very contrary mood, and he wasn't about to give up. " I thought the last lesson was the ougi," he said pointedly.

WH……Clash!…WH……Clash!…WHACK!!

"General principals," Hiko said before Genji could ask. 

The next morning, master and student left at dawn to search the countryside for the slavers. All senses were on alert—not just eyes and ears, but particularly the pair's unparalleled ability to sense ki. Not two hours away they found the bloodied body of a farmer; the man's family was nowhere in sight. Further on, they found three more farms in the same condition. It was shortly before lunch when first Hiko, then Genji sensed it—the malevolent ki of a large band of men, combined with the fearful ki of a group of others. The women and children, they guessed. Hiko had taught Genji well, for neither of them made a sound as they crept silently forward through the underbrush. Their quarry turned out to be a group of ten men armed with swords. One of the company kept guard over four women and nine children of varying ages, most of whom were weeping quietly. 

"You will watch as I deal with this scum—you are not to interfere at this time," Hiko ordered in a whisper. Then, before Genji could complain, he added, "Watch—and learn."

In less than the blink of an eye, Hiko disappeared, running like a shadow through the underbrush and grass until he was directly behind the slavers. Only then did he make his presence known.

"You will let these unfortunates go," Hiko announced suddenly in his most intimidating voice.

The men's heads whipped around in astonishment; it took them a moment to comprehend that someone had somehow sneaked up silently behind them. One of the men, who appeared to be their leader, drew his sword as soon as the shock wore off and held it menacingly towards Hiko.

"I'd hold your tongue, old man," the leader said, "or I'll cut it out of your mouth!"

Genji watched as Hiko, with a barely perceptible flick of his hilt, knocked the sword from the man's hand; there was no other reaction.

"Only a fool values his life so little that he would taunt a master swordsman with idle threats," Hiko continued, his voice becoming even more menacing. "You have committed crimes beyond belief, and yet I give you the chance to atone. If you value your souls, you will set these women and children free."

The leader now bent down to retrieve his sword. As he did so, he yelled, "Get him, men!" No sooner had he uttered the words than Hiko was all motion. Moving with godlike speed, he was suddenly airborne, and with a shout of "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!" he descended on the leader and two of his cohorts, killing them all with one mighty swing of his sword. It had taken all of about three seconds. Then, straightening his cape around him as if nothing had happened, Hiko resheathed his sword and faced the rest of the astonished group of slavers.

"I again give you a choice!" Hiko told them in no uncertain terms. "Free these unfortunates, or taste the wrath of my sword!"

At that, the man guarding the captives started drawing his sword. He had barely gotten it halfway out of his saya, however, before Hiko ran at him with blinding speed, shouting "Ryu Kan Sen!" The startled man didn't even have a chance to scream before Hiko's blade struck, decapitating him. Hiko now flew forward at the rest of the band, spinning and ducking their awkward attacks as he yelled "Ryu Kan Sen Kogarashi!" As he spun, his blade appeared to be everywhere at once. The slavers had no hope of blocking the rain of blows; they were all dead in a matter of seconds. Hiko now calmly surveyed the scene of carnage, acting as if he had exerted no more effort than to take a stroll. The captives, however, were in shock, and some were visibly shaking. He walked over to them, and taking the hand of the eldest woman among them, said, "Don't worry, we will take you to a place of safety."

Now Genji emerged from his vantage point. There was no denying that the swordsmanship he had just seen was awe-inspiring. What he didn't understand was why Hiko hadn't just killed the bastards outright. He was about to ask when Hiko cut him off.

"You will accompany these women and children to the monastery near here while I check further into the countryside," he ordered Genji. 

"But…."

"We will talk later," Hiko said with finality. And without another word, he was gone.

Genji looked at his charges and groaned inwardly—women weren't so bad, but children were a definite nuisance. Actually, if it weren't for the fact that these women had just hours before seen their husbands slaughtered, he might have considered seducing one or two of them. What with all his training, he hadn't had much time for that in the past year, and he certainly missed it! As it was, though, he could only act as their nursemaid and bodyguard. 'Damned Hiko," Genji thought darkly. "He gets all the excitement and leaves me with the hand-holding.' Luckily for him, Hiko was nowhere nearby to whack him for the thought.

And so Genji and his troupe of women and children set off at a slow pace for the nearby monastery, stopping every ten minutes or so as one child or another had to go potty, or one woman or another had to rest. Genji was getting royally annoyed with the whole affair and was thinking of all the ways he could get back at Hiko for saddling him with this burden when he suddenly felt it—the flare of hostile ki. He shooed the women and children into the bushes surrounding the trail, then strode forward alone. In a clearing not far off the trail he found five men with another group of women and children. From the look of it, it was another group of slavers, and they were apparently waiting while one of the children relieved himself in the bushes. 'Well, at least they've had to put up with the same crap I've had to put up with for the past hour,' he laughed grimly to himself. 

He waited for the child to return with his guard. Then he stepped out and said, "It takes six of you to control three women and six children? Pathetic."

The look of shock on the men's faces was priceless. They hadn't heard him coming.

"Who the hell are you?" said one of them as he stepped forward, sword pointing at Genji.

"I've come to relieve you of your duty as nursmaid," Genji said with a smirk. Oh, he was enjoying this. Hiko was right—swordsmanship wasn't everything; needling one's opponents with sarcasm was almost as much fun!

The slaver didn't know what to make of that comment. Was this guy a threat or just some arrogant clown with a sword? He decided, fatally, that it was the latter. Ignoring Genji's comment, he turned to his comrades and said, "Go kill that son of a bitch—he bothers me."

The men started for Genji, but suddenly Genji was nowhere to be seen. They stopped in their tracks as they looked around vainly for the man they knew had been in front of them just moments before. Then, without warning, a sword-wielding dragon descended from the sky.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Shou Sen!" Genji cried as he attacked the startled slavers from above. Two of the slavers fell immediately as his sword cracked the first man on the skull and then hit the second man in the neck. Then he whirled around to face the others as he dropped into battoujutsu stance.

"You can free your captives, or you can throw your lives away—your choice," Genji informed them as calmly as if nothing had happened. 

The three men before him took only a second to think before charging once again. This time Genji waited until they came close, then sped out faster than the eye could see and hit them with such force that their bodies literally flew into the underbrush. If he hadn't been using a practice sword, they would all have been dead. Genji now turned to the astonished leader of the group. The man took one look at his comrades, dropped his sword, and fled into the forest. Now some of the children started to cry, and one woman started hyperventilating in panic. 

"That _was_ a pretty magnificent display of swordsmanship, wasn't it," Genji said cockily as he resheathed his sword with a flourish, "but no need to cry about it." Then put his arm around the panicked woman to calm her. "I'm taking another group of women and children to a monastery. You'll be safe there. Care to join us?"

With that, Genji led the little group back down the path to join up with the first group. He was now in charge of seven women and fifteen children. 'Hiko, I'll get you for this!' he thought as the slow trek started up once again. It only took another hour to reach the monastery, but what with crying children and whimpering women, it felt to Genji like an eternity. The monks, to his surprise, seemed to be expecting them.

"How did…," Genji started asking, but he didn't need to ask how they knew, for off near the monastery's small koi pond he saw a white-haired, caped swordsman deep in meditation. As Genji silently strode over, Hiko said quietly, "Don't even think of pushing me in."

'Damn—he read my mind again,' Genji thought. So, instead, he sat down beside the master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and watched the fish swim around.

After several long, silent minutes, Hiko said, "You did well—arrogantly, but well."

"How would you know?" Genji muttered.

"I was watching," Hiko said.

"Watching?" Genji hissed—he had lived with Hiko long enough now to know when to control his temper and his ki, but it wasn't easy. "You mean spying on me."

Hiko ignored the comment. "A master must determine whether a student uses his powers wisely. I have determined that you did."

Genji digested this rare bit of praise in silence, but he still had questions about how Hiko had handled the first group of slavers. He was about to ask when Hiko spoke again.

"You wish to know why I didn't kill the slavers at once," Hiko continued, smiling slightly at the look of surprise on Genji's face. "Those slavers were men, just like any other men, and like all men, they had the ability to choose good over evil. If I hadn't given them a last opportunity to choose good, then I would have been no better than a common murderer."

"But it was obvious they had chosen evil—they had killed those women's husbands and taken them as slaves!" Genji pointed out.

"And what makes my taking of their lives any different from their taking of the farmers' lives?" Hiko replied. "A life is a life, a death is a death, no matter if it's a slaver or the emperor himself. Once it's done, there is no going back. Therefore, when one wields a power as awesome as Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, one must be absolutely certain that there is a last chance given to turn away from the path of evil to the path of good. I did not hesitate once it became clear that those men would not change their path. This is one of the most important tenets of Hiten Mitsurgi Ryu. Your own actions show that you have learned it well."

Hiko suddenly got up and walked over to a nearby bench. He picked up a long, narrow package that lay there and handed it to Genji. It was a sword, the finest Genji had ever seen. The blade was a magnificent work of a swordsmith's art. He took it in his hand and tried a few practice swings. The heft was perfect. He knelt down and laid the sword on the ground in the prescribed position for showing respect for both sword and master.

"This is now your sword," Hiko continued. "You have earned it. It was made by the swordsmith who crafted my own blade many years ago—there is no finer swordsmith in all of Japan. Now you are ready to learn the ougi."

****

Japanese Terms:

Ki: a person's 'aura,' or in this case, his swordfighting spirit.

Kenjutsu: the art of swordfighting.

Ryu: school or style of technique.

Shishou: master teacher.

Deshi: student.

Saya: sheath for a sword.

Ougi: the succession technique.

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Author's Note: So you expected the young Hiko the Thirteenth to be anything but arrogant? At least his shishou puts him in his place! Next, the conclusion of this short little fic.

Thanks to our reviewers: Beriath, Curls of Serenity, HakuBaikou, Chiki, Amakakeru No Hirameki1, Maeve Riannon, and Ayashi1. A note to one of our reviewers about whether Hiko the Twelfth may have had more than one student: when given a choice, I rely on the manga as much as possible, since the TV series changes and invents so much. Shougo Amakusa and his teacher are from a set of filler episodes, not from the manga, so in my RK universe, they don't exist (although I did have fun doing a send-up of episode 22 awhile back…). I've put a note at the beginning of the chapters so others won't wonder about the same thing.

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Co-Conspirator's Note: Poor Co-Conspirator—it's only the second week of school, and already she's buried under a mound of work. She'll be back by chapter 3, I'm sure!


	3. chapter 3

Genji learns that the last lesson of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu isn't necessarily the ougi.

Watsuki Nobuhiro created Rurouni Kenshin, Jump Comics was smart enough to publish it, and Sony was wise enough to animate it. They hold all the copyrights. Darn!

This story relies on information found in the manga, not the television series.

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A Star is Born

Chapter 3

The ougi! Genji could hardly believe his ears. Finally, after nearly two years of suffering at the hands of his harsh taskmaster, Genji was finally going to learn the succession technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!

Well, actually, if he were really honest about it (damn those nuns!), Hiko Seijurou the Twelfth wasn't really such a harsh taskmaster. All he demanded was a single-minded devotion to kenjutsu and the requirement that Genji address him as 'shishou.' Could Genji help it if he just couldn't seem to form the word in his mouth? Actually, if he were really honest about _that_, he'd have to admit that at first he had refused to address Hiko as 'shishou' because he was royally pissed off that anyone thought his swordsmanship was in need of any kind of improvement. Now, though, he refused to call Hiko 'shishou' just because it was so much fun to needle the old geezer. Ok, so he wasn't really that old, but… Genji was suddenly interrupted from his soul-searching by a rough shake of the shoulders.

"Deshi, are you planning to cook breakfast in this lifetime or the next?" 

It was Hiko, and he was hungry. Genji flashed him a quick smile and got down to business, carefully masking his ki as he mixed some wasabi into Hiko's tea. Ah, good, no whack….

The two ate their meal in silence, each contemplating his own thoughts. Genji's thoughts were on the ougi; Hiko's were on the best way to switch his as-yet-untasted tea with Genji's. The fact that Genji had managed to mask his ki so successfully this time confirmed to him that Genji, despite his character flaws, was indeed ready to learn the succession technique. It pained Hiko to think that the world would now know Hiko Seijurou only as an arrogant horse's ass, instead of the principled, self-controlled man he himself was, but that was the way of the world. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu could only have one master at a time—it was too dangerous to have more than one—and really, after more than two decades as master, he was ready to relinquish the title. What did it matter that even after nearly two years, his one and only student had never once addressed him as shishou? There was no doubt that the teen had become a flawless swordsman and had accepted wholeheartedly the philosophical underpinnings of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and that's what counted. It was now time to see whether his student had what it took, both physically and mentally, to master the succession technique. As Genji got up to refill the rice bowl, Hiko carefully switched teacups, then began to speak.

"This morning, we begin your training to learn the succession technique," he announced. "You must be mentally ready for this challenge, for it will tax you as nothing else ever has. You will bring your new sword."

Genji shot a surprised look. "Not the practice sword?"

"To learn the succession technique, you must have speed beyond even the speed of the gods," Hiko said. "A practice sword is too unwieldy. This will require the flexibility and responsiveness of the best blades ever made. Only I, and now you, own such a blade."

Genji was not one to be intimidated by anyone or anything, but he couldn't help thinking about all the hits he had taken from Hiko as he learned the other moves of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. If they hadn't been using practice swords, he knew he would have been filleted, sliced, and diced many times over by now.

"Not that I'm worried or anything," Genji said carefully as he picked up his teacup, "but if we use real swords before I actually know what I'm doing…."

"Yama no Genji, after all this time together, do you not have enough knowledge of my skill to trust that I will be able to teach you with a real sword and yet never touch you?"

"Oh, so you're not scared of what _I_ may do to _you_?" Genji needled him. He nonchalantly took a sip of tea, then sat in stunned silence as his eyes crossed and his sinuses practically exploded as the wasabi registered on his tastebuds.

Hiko roared with laughter. "Even after two years, you still think you can fool me? Don't you ever give up, Genji?"

Genji could feel his temper rising. "Damn you, Hiko…."

WHACK! Clash…. but it was a weak clash—wasabi can do that to even the strongest… WHACK!!

"Only after you have mastered the ougi may you call me Hiko!" Hiko reminded his baka deshi with a broad smile.

That did it. Genji jumped up from the table, grabbed his new sword, and shouted, "Ok, let's do it! By this afternoon, I'll have you eating your words!"

The two now went out to a clearing they often used for practice. If Genji hadn't been worried before, he began to worry now. The last time he saw this combination of concentration and amusement on Hiko's face was when Hiko had started teaching him to read ki. It had been a painful experience, and he had gotten the distinct impression that Hiko had enjoyed himself immensely as he delivered each and every whack to the unsuspecting Genji. This time, however, those whacks would not be delivered with a practice sword. 

"Exactly what are you planning to do?" Genji finally asked after the two had been staring at each other in battle stance for several seconds.

Hiko smiled briefly. "There is an attack you haven't learned yet," Hiko said. "It involves hitting your opponent in all nine areas of the body at once. It is done so swiftly that there is no hope of defense. It is a move that rarely, if ever, is needed in battle. Its real purpose is to prepare you for the ougi. It is called Kuzu Ryu Sen. There is only one way to teach it—you will watch as I attack you."

"WHAT?!" 

But it was too late—Hiko was already on the move. With blinding speed, he flew towards Genji; before Genji could even blink, he had been hit in all nine areas of his body. Yet despite the feeling that a boulder had just crushed every part of him, he was still alive and unbloodied. It took him a few minutes to recover his senses and make the world stop spinning around him. Was that a smirk he saw curling the edges of Hiko's mouth? Hiko had enjoyed that, hadn't he….

"You bastard…," Genji managed to mutter painfully. He realized that Hiko must have used the flat of his blade for all nine hits, for if he hadn't, Genji had no doubt that he would no longer be in one piece.

Hiko offered a hand to Genji to help pull him up. "I truly am sorry, deshi," Hiko said as he tried to stifle a smile. "Unfortunately, there is only one way to teach Kuzu Ryu Sen, and that is to have you watch it in action against yourself. Only by seeing it come, by feeling the pattern of the blows, can you hope to learn it. I can show you again, if you like…."

"NO!" Genji practically shouted. "I mean, that's ok, I think I caught it the first time." 

And he had. The moves had been made at beyond godlike speed, but by this time Genji had been so well-trained in the speed of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu that he could reconstruct in his mind's eye every move he saw and felt Hiko do. He staggered to his feet and said, "Ok, now it's my turn!" Then he collapsed.

Hiko smiled a self-satisfied smile. "Ah, deshi," he said as he sat to wait for his student to recover, "sometimes the rewards of teaching you are truly great." 

Half an hour later, Genji finally got up and staggered over to a nearby stream. After splashing his face with cold water, he returned to the clearing, feeling thoroughly rejuvinated. "_Now_ it's my turn," he said, a menacing gleam in his eye.

Once again, the two faced each other. Genji waited and glared at Hiko for all he was worth as he quickly reviewed the moves in his mind. Then, with godlike speed, he ran forward and, with unerring accuracy, delivered the nine blows of Kuzu Ryu Sen. He landed gracefully several feet away and then looked back. Hiko was still standing. 

'Damn!' he cursed mentally. Aloud, though, he said, "Those blows were delivered correctly, so how come you're still standing?"

Hiko just smiled. "I must congratulate you, Genji—it was a perfect Kuzu Ryu Sen, and on your very first attempt! Of course, I am stronger than you and just a little bit faster, so…."

"Kuzu Ryu Sen!" Genji roared, and he sped forward even faster than before, delivering the nine blows with even more speed. After landing, he once again looked back; once again, Hiko was still standing, although this time he was at least panting.

"Much better," Hiko said, "and yet I am still stronger and faster."

Now Genji was really mad. He turned to face Hiko as he mentally analyzed every detail of the technique for a clue as to how to increase its power. He decided to improve his grip. He concentrated his mind with a fierce intensity and then, for a third time, he yelled, "Kuzu Ryu Sen!" and raced towards his teacher. This time, when the dust cleared, Hiko was sprawled unceremoniously on his rump, having just barely defended himself from Genji's blade. Genji was triumphant. "I've won!" he crowed.

Hiko stood up, a serious look coming over his face. "What does it mean to win at kenjutsu?" he asked in an ominous tone. "Kenjutsu is nothing more than the art of killing! To win means that you have killed! Never gloat over a victory, for a life is a life, no matter what the holder of that life is like! It is for this reason that a master of a power as awesome as Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu cannot allow anyone to rule him. Become no one's vassal, or you relinquish control of your own power! Guide your sword only with your own conscience, or you will become nothing more than a common murderer! Never forget that!"

Now Hiko sat down and assumed the lotus position. He knew Genji would learn the Kuzu Ryu Sen quickly, but he hadn't expected him to master it in only three attempts. Now he needed to prepare himself mentally for what was to follow. Therefore, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

"Hey, giving up already?" Genji asked in surprise. He hadn't expected such a stern lecture, but it wasn't like that had never happened before. Usually, though, they just went back to practicing whatever move had prompted the lecture in the first place. Hiko, however, was unresponsive. 

'Pfeh,' Genji muttered to himself, and he wandered over to a nearby tree and sat down. Actually, it felt good to sit—he was rather sore and tired from the morning's exertions. He closed his own eyes and soon was dozing peacefully.

He awoke not long after to find Hiko standing over him. There was something different about the man, but Genji couldn't quite put his finger on it at first. Then it dawned on him—Hiko was not wearing his ever-present cape. He stared in amazement, for in truth, he had never really seen his teacher without the cape except when Hiko was asleep at night. Now, for the first time, Genji got the full measure of the man. Yes, he was shorter than Genji and less obviously muscular, but everything about him exuded a kind of power that was, quite frankly, overwhelming. The cape seemed to have masked that. 

"What happened to your cape?" Genji finally managed to ask when he had overcome his shock. 

"It is time to teach the ougi," Hiko answered cryptically. "It is time for me to unleash my full powers."

"Huh?"

Hiko gave Genji a strange look. "Go retrieve the cape," he said quietly.

For once, Genji did as he was told without a wisecrack. There was something about Hiko's eyes that set off all sorts of alarms in Genji's head. He bent to pick up the cape, planning to at least make some offhand remark about bad taste in clothing, but as he reached for it, he found that it was no ordinary piece of fabric. Under the shoulders of the cape were springs and weights that made the cape unbelievably heavy.

"What the…," he gasped. "This thing must weigh a ton!"

"Eighty pounds, to be exact," Hiko said.

"But why…?"

"This cape has been used from the beginning by all who have held the name of Hiko Seijurou," Hiko said solemnly. "Its purpose is to restrain the inheritor of Hiten Mitsurugi's power in times of peace. Now it is time for you to attempt the ougi. Therefore, it is time for me to remove the cape and fight at my true strength. Only by having you fight me at my true strength will I know whether you have truly mastered the ougi or not."

"You mean, all this time I haven't been fighting you at your true strength?" Genji asked incredulously. How could this be? The man was unbelievably powerful with the cape on; what must he be like without it? Genji wasn't sure he wanted to find out….

"You now know," Hiko continued, "that there is no possible defense against the Kuzu Ryu Sen, and yet there is one way to defend—by doing something so bold, so dangerous, that it would kill any other swordsman to perform but a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. It involves the super-godlike speed of battoujutsu combined with the use of the left foot. It is the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. This is the succession technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

Genji just stared, mouth hanging open. "Battoujutsu with the left foot?" he repeated in a stunned voice. Everyone knew a swordsman always stepped forward with the right foot, otherwise he risked killing himself by accident. Yet this was the very move he was required to do—a Kuzu Ryu Sen with the left foot!

"Now you understand why this can only be learned with a real sword," Hiko said, "and why I must fight at my full strength. Watch…and learn."

Hiko turned his eyes to a practice pole and assumed the battoujutsu stance. Suddenly, with supreme confidence, Hiko flew forward, left foot first, moving faster than the eye could see. Everything was a blur, but when it was all over, mere seconds later, there was nothing left of the pole but splinters, which seemed to be sucked up by a whirlwind before floating back down to the ground. Genji had never seen anything like it, not even when Hiko had attacked him with the Kuzu Ryu Sen. Hiko now turned to face him, eyes blazing in the aftermath of using the ultimate speed and deadly force of the attack.

Genji had watched, but had he digested it properly? He closed his eyes and ran everything through his mind. The left foot, the beyond-godlike speed, but there was also something else. He looked at Hiko, but Hiko said nothing; he just continued to stare at Genji with eyes that seemed to burn into Genji's own. Then Genji understood—the confidence, the supreme confidence of a clear conscience in the service of supreme power and ability. He had no doubt that he himself possessed that supreme power and ability, and as for a clear conscience, well, putting a bit of wasabi into Hiko's tea didn't exactly count. He tested leading with his left foot a few times to learn the feel of such an unnatural act, then dropped into battoujutsu stance and turned his undivided attention to a second practice pole. With a mighty battle cry, he lunged forward, concentrating his whole mind and all his efforts on the pole before him. The feeling was unbelievable—the move on the left foot, the incredible increase in speed it gave him, the immense power of what seemed to be a backdraft, which again picked up what was left of the pole into a whirlwind. He looked back in awe.

"You understand, now, the power of this move?" Hiko asked quietly. "Even if your opponent could somehow defend against the attack itself, the whirlwind created by the awesome speed will suck him back. There is no escape."

Genji, for once, was speechless. The silence continued, Hiko staring with blazing intensity at Genji, Genji staring incredulously at the remains of the two poles. Finally, Hiko broke the silence.

"It is time."

Hiko now assumed the battoujutsu stance and waited. Genji just looked at him, uncomprehending, until Hiko motioned for him to do likewise. Apparently, Hiko intended for them to attack each other with the ougi, but how could that be? The seconds ticked off slowly.

"This is your test," Hiko said quietly. "It's your move."

His test—yes! He would show Hiko just what he could do, and then finally he'd be able to call the man Hiko to his face without getting whacked for it! Genji assumed the battoujutsu stance, cleared his mind of all distractions, then suddenly flew into action.

If anyone had been there to watch, they would not have believed their eyes. Two blurs—one white-haired and of medium height, one dark-haired and tall—tangling in a whirl of speed far beyond what the eye could comprehend. The clash of steel sounded faster than the ear could take in. And when it was done, the whirlwind created by the attack and counterattack achieved nearly the force of a small tornado. When the dust cleared, one form lay on the ground, one was left standing. It was Genji. He turned to look back and saw his master lying still, not even moving his eyelids. He ran over to find a huge, heavily bleeding gash running from Hiko's shoulder to his hip. Genji immediately pulled off his gi and started tearing it into strips to use as makeshift bandages. Hiko brushed his hands away.

"Deshi," Hiko said weakly, "your ougi…was perfect. You are now a true master of Hiten Mitsurugi…." He started coughing up blood.

"But I've killed you! You're dying!" Genji cried out in alarm as he lifted Hiko's head onto his lap.

Hiko just smiled. "That is the last lesson…of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," he said in a halting voice. "The student becomes the master…by taking the life…of his teacher." He stopped to catch his breath. He had prepared himself for this, but still the pain and the difficulty of breathing were hard to deal with. "You… are the new Hiko Seijurou. The cape…." And then he was gone.

"SHISHOU!"

Genji cradled the body of his teacher as tears started to fill his eyes. He had killed his teacher! The man who had taught him everything, had driven him crazy, had taken all his taunts—dead! His heart suddenly felt like it would burst. Never had he felt this kind of grief, this kind of remorse. "Shishou!" he sobbed. "Shishou!"

Now he understood what Hiko meant about the last lesson of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, about learning the true value of a life and thus the true meaning of death. He gently placed Hiko's body back on the ground and now, solemnly, began collecting what was needed for a funeral pyre. Being thoroughly versed in the customs of Buddhism, he knew exactly what was needed for a proper funeral, and he performed the rituals with all the respect he knew was due to so great a swordsman. When it was over, he buried the ashes and found a huge boulder to mark the site—a fitting monument for the twelfth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Then, with a heavy heart, he took the cape and swung it about his own shoulders. He looked around the clearing at the remnants of the fatal lesson, then cleared his mind as best he could of its grief. 

And so Hiko Seijurou the Thirteenth strode out into the world, as self-assured and arrogant as ever, but tempered now with a wisdom thrust upon him by the final lesson of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

The End

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Japanese Terms: 

Kenjutsu: art of sword-fighting.

Shishou: master teacher.

Deshi: student.

Ki: a person's 'aura' or sword-fighting spirit.

Baka deshi: stupid student.

Wasabi: green Japanese horseradish—very potent!!

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Author's Note: Yes, finished already (what, you expected sixteen chapters again?). Given the way we're told Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is passed from master to master, it was inevitable that this story would end with a death, but at least in this chapter the future Hiko Seijuro the Thirteenth gets a taste of his own medicine (literally)! I hope you've enjoyed my take on our favorite arrogant swordsman. 

As always, many, many thanks to all our reviewers: Beriath, Curls of Serenity, HakuBaikou, Chiki, Amakakeru No Hirameki1, Maeve Riannon, Ayashi1, Chibi Mo, and Eeevee. Ever wonder if it's worth taking the time to write that review? Let me tell you, we authors _live_ for those reviews (even if you're skewering us)!

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Co-Conspirator's Note: I wish there were a note from good old Co-C., but since the first week of the new school year, she has been buried under an avalanche of work. So, I'll just send a ^_^ from her to you. Ja ne!


End file.
